


open up and sing

by orphan_account



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Closeted Character, F/F, Friendship, M/M, Road Trips, Slow Build, Teen Angst, adding tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-19
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-05 08:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1811485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Gaia's defeat, Nico disappears without a word for two years. Now he's back at Camp Half-blood, and his shadow powers are out of control. How can Percy figure out how to help when Nico won't even speak to him?</p><p>Spoilers for House of Hades ahoy, not compliant with Blood of Olympus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. JASON

**Author's Note:**

> Probably AU after House of Hades. Assumes that Gaia was defeated and things more or less return to normal.
> 
> This is my first fic in the fandom and my first time writing in general for many many years. I'm not sure how long it will be, I don't have it planned in advance although I've got a general idea of what I'm trying to make happen. I look forward to your feedback.
> 
> (I could also really use a beta, so drop me a line if you're interested?)
> 
> Title is from Marina and the Diamond's "I Am Not a Robot"

The first time it happened, Jason had been walking back to his cabin after a round of sparring with the Ares kids, just after lunch. He'd been juggling his dirty leather armor in one hand and sword in the other, intending to clean them up and then maybe take a shower, when Nico di Angelo shot out of Cabin Three like a bat from hell. Since Nico had made good on his word and disappeared from the half-blood world after they'd put Gaia to rest, nobody had laid eyes on him for two years. Shows up out of the blue after two years, and it's bolting out of Percy's cabin like he'd just murdered the guy. Attempted murder, anyway. The muffled crashing and cursing from inside didn't really help that impression.

It was all he could do to stand there and stare at the son of Hades standing in the middle of the yard, pale and shaking, round eyes darting left and right as he turned in circles as if he couldn't understand where he was. “Nico?” he said, once he realized who the thin figure was. He'd dropped his armor in surprise when Nico appeared, but he made no move to pick it up now. All his attention was on the scared-looking ( _and dangerous_ , his mind supplied. _Don't forget he's dangerous_ ) kid standing in the middle of yard.

“Nico? What are you doing here?” he inched closer, arms up defensively as if trying to subdue a wounded animal that was liable to lash out indiscriminately. Jason immediately recognized the thought as mean, comparing Nico to an animal. It's _Nico_ , he told his brain. He's weird and creepy, yes, but he wasn't dangerous. Probably. And weren't they sort of friends?

 _You haven't seen him for two years_ , his brain supplied. _Nobody knows where he went or what he was doing_. Jason grimaced. What would it take to quiet his overactive thoughts? Nico disappeared because he's just that kind of person. He wanted to be alone, I don't blame him. There's nothing wrong with that.

“Jason?” Nico said, as Jason stepped closer. “What are you – why am I –” he whirled around to glance back at Cabin Three and then back at Jason, his eyes unable to settle on just one thing, “I was _sleeping_ – I don't – I don't mean to be here,” his words were halting and quick, like his mind was trying to play catch up with his body and his words hadn't yet gotten on board. Jason was just as confused as Nico appeared to be, and was starting to think that some kind of head injury was involved. He was about to suggest that he walk Nico over to the Big House and get checked out, all the other questions could wait – and then the door to Cabin Three swung open and Percy Jackson strode out, clutching his head.

Nico darted around Jason and was out of sight before Percy got down the step and finished his sentence. “Nico, what the hell was –”

Jason's head spun. Percy walked up to him, confusion evident on his face and a large welt forming on his brow. He looked at Jason, and Jason looked at him. Neither boy said anything. After a moment, Jason turned and continued walking toward his cabin.

 _Nope, not going to get involved in_ that _. Whatever that was._

 

But _that_ wasn't the end of _that_. It was only the beginning.

He found out what happened through Piper, who'd heard the story from Annabeth, who Percy told the entire story to as she applied an ice pack to the angry red welt on his forehead.

Apparently, Percy had been napping in his cabin after lunch – Jason couldn't hold back a snort, of course Percy was napping, the son of Poseidon was known lately for his laid-back, bordering on lazy lifestyle and Jason was just a _smidge_ jealous that he seemed to be able to get away with it – when suddenly, one Nico di Angelo had popped into existence immediately adjacent to said demigod. Percy screamed, Nico screamed, fists were flung – you don't sneak up on a demigod let alone two survivors of Tartarus without expecting to get hit – and Percy fell off the bed while Nico ran out.

The story had been a lot less lewd than what Jason's imagination had been supplying in the time span between lunch and dinner. His brain – his traitorous brain – had been putting Nico appearing in Percy's bunk, Nico's disheveled appearance, Percy's injury, all together added up to form some weird clandestinde tryst narrative – and Jason still had so many questions. Why, first of all. Just _why_. And where had Nico been all this time, and why did he come back now? Why hadn't he told anyone he was coming?

And where was Nico now? Jason had thought – before Nico had abandoned everyone and everything for two years – that they'd come to a sort of understanding. That if you couldn't call them friends, not quite yet, that he'd at least earned Nico's trust. Why hadn't Nico come to him?

He didn't have to wait long to find out where Nico was. At dinnertime, after everyone had eaten and made their tributes and was gathered around the campfire, he'd appeared again.

On Percy Jackson's lap.

Jason just heard the _thump_ and _oof_ (the first noise was Nico, the second was Percy) and the surprised gasp and laughter of the other campers before he turned and saw what had caused the commotion. Nico and Percy were a tangle of limbs on the dirt, the former red-faced and struggling to get up. Annabeth stood to the side and looked like she wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved, which Jason couldn't fault her for.

Nico finally managed to right himself and was about to make another one of his quick-dash exits but Percy stopped him with a hand on his wrist. Strike one, Jason thought. Nico hates being touched.

“Nico, wait,” Percy said, “don't run away. What's going on? This is the second time this has happened, is something wrong? Where have you been all this time? Nobody's been able to get a hold of you –”

Strike two, preventing the reclusive and people-shy Nico di Angelo from running away _and_ interrogating him while the entire camp looks on, privy to his private problems? Not looking good, Percy. Nico yanked his arm free and glared. The ground shook. The son of Poseidon backed off.

Nico ran.

 

 

And that was how it happened the second time. It was by no means the last time. The next week at Camp Half-blood was punctuated by Percy's day periodically being interrupted by an increasingly moody and upset Ghost King shadow-traveling directly next to, or more embarrassingly on top of, and in one case, underneath him. Each time Percy would try to stop Nico and get some kind of explanation, and each time, Nico would run as far away as his spindly black-clad legs would take him.

“You'd think he'd be tired of it by now,” Percy remarked one evening when he, Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Leo – the part of the Seven that had decided to stay at Camp Half-blood – were hanging out during their free time. “The running away, I mean.”

Jason felt that Percy was underestimating Nico's tolerance for self-flagellation. Nico would probably run the circumference of the earth before facing a problem openly and head-on. He thought back to when he and Nico had met with Cupid and how Nico had acted like he'd rather die than admit feelings for Percy Jackson. He'd been so ashamed to admit that he was in love with another guy – though that was probably only part of the reason, Jason knew. The other part probably had to do with the fact that Percy was happily unavailable, dating a girl who he loved and who he'd walked through hell with. Yeah, Jason wouldn't exactly be screaming confessions from the rooftops were he in Nico's shoes, either.

And then it was like a light bulb went off in Jason's head. He sat up straight, dislodging Piper who had been resting on his side and causing her to look at him in alarm. “What's wrong?” she said, “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“Uh, not quite,” he said, feeling guilty. All eyes were on him now – he'd apparently interrupted a rather involved joke of Leo's that involved a cabbage and a penguin, the shorter boy's mouth was still open as if in the middle of delivering the punchline. He couldn't tell them, not even Piper, even though she'd be a big help as a daughter of Aphrodite. He promised Nico that he'd keep his secret and he wasn't going to do anything to betray that trust. Which meant he had to talk to Nico directly. Jason stood up.

“I, uh, gotta go. It's urgent,” he said lamely, already backing away from the group. Piper was frowning at him.

“Toilets are the other direction,” Leo recovered as he walked away, but Jason's mind was already focused on thoughts of where to possibly find the son of Hades.

 

 

Lucky for him, the first place he looked was also the last. A shiver ran down his spine as he approached the gloomy, dark, and skull-encrusted Cabin Thirteen, but he figured that was probably due to all the skulls. Every muscle in his body seemed to be resisting him as he climbed the step, as if it knew better than he did not to meddle in Hades' affairs. Jason knocked on the heavy, giant door. The ground failed to swallow him up, but nobody answered either. He took a deep breath and put a hand on the door giving it a slight push. It opened a smidgen, wide enough for him to slip through.

 _I've been through a lot of trials,_ he thought, _but this is probably the most terrifying._ He entered Cabin Thirteen.

The inside of the cabin was dark, which didn't surprise Jason. Nico di Angelo sat in the darkness, which did. The only source of light was a torch of green fire burning at the far end, dimly illuminating the sparsely-furnished and dusty room, empty except for the torch, a nightstand, and a bed, upon which Nico currently sat and stared at Jason as he entered and walked hesitatingly into the darkness. The bed was strangely opulent compared to the rest of the cabin, a king-sized four poster made of obsidian, like the walls, with the posts carved into twisting and intricate spikes. The sheets and pillows were also black, with damask patterns woven in silk throughout. Nico smirked as he noticed Jason's interest.

“I built this cabin with my powers when I was twelve, with the help of an undead army. By the time I finished this bed, I was exhausted and had to stop. I always meant to come back and finish it, but, well. Things happened,”

_Things happened._

It was the most Nico had spoken to him, to anyone, in years. His voice was low and raspy.

“It's nice,” Jason said mildly. And then, because he couldn't help putting his foot in his mouth, “Why aren't you running away?”

Nico's face twisted into a facsimile of a smile again. “Because you're not Percy, mainly. If I'm being honest.”

“So this problem you've been having, it _does_ have to do with Percy,” Jason confirmed, sitting lightly on the bed a reasonable distance away from the son of Hades. Nico sat on the opposite side, legs curled up to his chest and head bent low.

“No, I just can't shadow-travel to anywhere else besides exactly where he happens to be,” he scoffed, his voice thick with sarcasm. More quietly, he continued, “When has _anything_ in my life not had to do with Percy Jackson?”

“I was talking with him – not! _Not_ about you!” he began slowly, quickly clarifying when Nico lifted his head to deliver a fierce death glare. Talking to this boy felt like navigating a minefield, no joke, “Not really, anyway. But we were talking and I sort of maybe had an idea?”

Nico didn't say anything, just gave him a look that might have meant _I'm listening, go on_ or it might have meant _I'm going to fill all your pillows with bird corpses_. Jason continued.

“When we were in Croatia – ” Nico flinched again, curling further into himself like he was trying to protect against hurts that were inevitable, and Jason felt his heart break a little for this kid. “ – you made a deal with Cupid,”

“And I confessed. I did as he wanted, we got the scepter, and that's the end of that story,” Nico said, his words an angry shield against what Jason knew were his real feelings.

“I don't think that's all of it,” he said, moving a little closer to Nico on the bed. It was like approaching a spooked cat. Nico must have really been out of it, because he didn't even seem to register the mattress dipping under Jason's weight. He wasn't even looking at Jason anymore, and his head was bowed so low it nearly touched his knees.

“It _has_ to be it,” Nico said, voice strained, “It's not fair otherwise. I did what Cupid wanted me to. And I saved the world, too. I did. I just want to be left alone. I was alone. It was going fine.”

“Nico...” Jason placed a hand on his shoulder, and predictably, the boy jumped, his head snapping up to look at Jason. Nico's eyes were red and puffy, and Jason wondered how often this week the boy had disappeared into the Hades cabin, where he knew nobody would dare enter, and cried alone. Now tears threatened to spill out again, and Jason cringed. _Please don't cry_ , he thought. _I wouldn't know what to do if you cried._

“It's not fair!” Nico asserted again, and he really did sound on the verge of tears, “Why won't the gods just leave me alone?”

Jason sighed. He'd asked himself that same question more than once since discovering his parentage. He had to admit that the gods did seem to have it out for Nico di Angelo more than most. A natural side effect of being a child of Hades, the most hated god in the pantheon? Nico's breath was turning short and ragged as he struggled to keep it under control.

Whatever else, Jason knew that Nico was way more embarrassed than he was right now, and he made a split-second decision. With the blind bravery of a kamikaze bomber, he wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders and pulled the surprised boy's head down to his chest in an awkward side-hug. Nico was stunned into silence, but Jason could hear his breathing becoming more slow and measured, as if his panic had been overtaken by his brain racing to figure out _what is this. What is going on. Why is he hugging me._

“Because the gods are dicks,” he answered Nico's question, and again failed to be swallowed up by the earth, or struck by lightning, or anything. Jason figured even the gods couldn't get offended at a plain truth. “And they're not fair, and they'll never _be_ fair. And I'm pretty sure they enjoy watching us suffer,”

Nico was silent, stiff as a board against Jason's side. But he wasn't making any move to get away, so Jason counted that as a win. Eventually, he said, “So you think Cupid's...toying with me? For fun?”

“I think you becoming magnetized to Percy Jackson has his brand of love written all over it,” Jason replied. Saying it out loud didn't make it any more appealing.

There was a flash of light, and both boys flung their arms over their faces instinctively. A rich, deep voice sounded out in the now-bright cabin.

“And you'd be right,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who? Ha ha ha...
> 
> Alright, I have no idea if anyone's in character or if this is any good but I had a lot of fun writing it so I'm gonna try and see this to the end. Let me know what you think and I'll try to have chapter two up in a week or two.


	2. JASON and PERCY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was a bit longer than a few weeks. Would you all accept moving TWICE in two months, with one of those moves 1,100 miles away, a valid excuse? This chapter is a bit longer so I hope that makes up for it.
> 
> Please feel free to point out mistakes and corrections in your comments, this was proofread very quickly.

Jason and Nico held their faces in their hands, shielding against the incredible light. Jason felt like his face was melting off, but even through the sudden pain he recognized the voice.

“Apologies,” the voice said in a tone that failed to sound at all apologetic. There was a momentary pause, and the brightness in the room decreased by half, shadows filling the corners once again. “Is that better?”

Cautiously, Jason lowered his arm and dared a glance.

Cupid stood before them. Unlike their last meeting, he made no pretension of invisibility, instead showing himself in all his terrible beauty. His cloud-white wings crowded against the ceiling of the cabin and stood out in stark contrast among all the black, making the god seem ten feet tall. He smiled at them now, looking like nothing more than a predator staring at its next meal.

“Nico di Angelo,” Cupid said, “Good to see you. You've been on my mind since our last meeting, I've been keeping watch over you. Quite an interesting predicament you're in, I think.”

Nico di Angelo was trembling, but his voice was full of rage as he addressed the god. “You did this,”

Cupid laughed. “You amuse me, boy. And give me far too much credit by half. I may have found it prudent to use my godly wisdom to shift some pieces around here and there, yes. But the situation to begin with is entirely your fault.”

Jason's arm was still around Nico, but now instead of comfort he was trying to hold the boy back as Nico practically growled at the god of love. If Nico wasn't careful, he was liable to get turned into a plant again. For someone with such a strong sense of self-preservation, Nico was remarkably stupid when it came to dealing with gods.

“What are you talking about?” Nico yelled, “If I had a choice I'd be a thousand miles away,”

“And that, my darling tragedy,” Cupid said, taking Nico's face in his hands and forcing him to look directly into his blood-red eyes, “is exactly the point,” He let go of Nico who grimaced and turned away.

“I told you the truth,” Nico said, barely a whisper, as if speaking any louder would physically hurt, “You know I wasn't lying. What more do you want from me?”

“I told you the only way to conquer love was to face it, boy. You think you've done that? Slinking around as you have, avoiding everyone you hold dear?” Cupid's voice boomed loudly, seeming to grow larger and brighter as he spoke.

“I never asked to feel this way. Please,” Nico begged, “please, take these feelings away from me,”

Cupid laughed, a cruel sound devoid of any actual joy. “Foolish. Even if I wanted to, which I most assuredly do not, you ask for something beyond the realm of my power. Love's barbs stick deeply and are not to be removed with a snap of the fingers. Not even _my_ fingers.”

“Then why have you shown yourself? Just to gloat?”

“Yes, partly. And partly because I was getting bored watching you stumble around in a panic like a blind nanny goat. I will repeat the advice I gave to you before, since you apparently did not hear me the first time. Son of Hades: You must face your love head-on. Only then will you find peace,”

“Percy's with Annabeth. He likes girls. And I'm not going to try and break them up. There's no chance for me to find happiness there,”

“I didn't say anything about happiness,” Cupid said with a wry smile, “My dear, Venus really has been filling all your heads with entirely the wrong ideas about love,”

Jason looked back and forth between Cupid and Nico, the latter's sagging shoulders and the former's cruel smile. He knew if he let Cupid go on he could easily taunt Nico into an early grave, and decided to intervene.

“A quest,” he said. “Why not send us on a quest? We'll do whatever you want, and if we succeed, you help Nico out,”

Cupid looked sharply at Jason, as if only just noticing he was there. “You don't want to go on one of _my_ quests,” the god said.

“I think we can handle it,” Jason scoffed, choosing the tried and true method of doubting an immortal's power to trick them into doing things. Cupid was either smarter or more wary than other beings they'd faced, because he didn't rise to the bait.

“I have no desire to help you, Jason Grace,” he said, “You bore me, and after all, how did you put it? Gods are dicks. Although...” Cupid paused, and looked down at Nico consideringly. “I do like you, Nico. Perhaps I will give you a quest, and advice. Heed it well, I am not normally so generous. Love is a burden, not a gift. It will weigh you down and tangle you up and drown you if you let it.”

Cupid stepped back and began to vanish, the air around him shimmering and glittering.

“What? Is that it?” Jason said. What kind of advice was that? He looked at Nico who was still staring at the floor, pretending not to exist, apparently.

Cupid said nothing, only smiled. Suddenly, he was gone, and Cabin Thirteen was dark again.

 

 

“So...”

Nico snapped out of it, jumping off the bed away from Jason. He made several attempts at starting a sentence, all of which ended with frustrated noises and mimed strangulation at Jason. Finally, he managed to get out, “Don't try to help me anymore,”

The son of Zeus blinked owlishly at Nico, “What? What did I do?”

Nico gestured to where Cupid had disappeared, “What did you you _do_? You practically summoned him here! And now he's going to give us a quest? You think I want to do anything for that-- for that--”

“Hey, you heard what he said, he'd been keeping watch over you. He'd probably have shown up sooner or later if things continued like they had been,”

Nico groaned and buried his face in his hands. “This is a disaster. Seriously. The underworld is a cakewalk in comparison.”

“Was that where you were all this time? With your dad?” Jason asked. Nico peeked an eye out from between his fingers.

“I don't want to talk to you right now,” he said, although he didn't sound all that angry anymore. Just tired. Jason tried for a smile.

“Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things worse for you. And at least now we know why your shadow powers are all messed up now, right? We can work on fixing things,” Nico sighed and Jason put a hand on his shoulder, “I really was just trying to help.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? You're my friend, Nico. I mean, we're friends? Right?”

Nico squinted at Jason. “You're speaking English, but the words aren't making any sense,”

Jason laughed. Nico _did_ have a sense of humor buried under all that doom and gloom. “Is it really that hard to imagine us as friends?”

“Yes,” Nico deadpanned, only the upward quirk of his lips belying his humor. Like this, Nico actually looked as young as he was. The air in the cabin seemed a touch lighter, although nothing had been solved.

“Well, tough, because I'm going to help you because we're friends and there's nothing you can do about it. So there, death breath.”

“...I still don't trust--” Nico started to say, then stopped, looking at Jason. “That's a bad way of putting it. I do...trust you. With my secret. You haven't told anyone yet. I don't think you will.”

“I won't,” Jason repeated emphatically. “I keep my promises.”

“Yeah. I got that about you,” Nico said dryly, “But I mean to say, I don't trust-- I mean, I don't understand...why you want to help me. _Me_ ,” he stressed, “I haven't exactly been the easiest person to get along with in the past, and I know it,”

Jason, at the limit for how much he could explain in words, reached over and bonked Nico on the head.

“Ow! What the hell?”

“I thought that might get through to you a little better, since you don't seem to get it,” Jason said. Nico rubbed his head and glared, “I want to be your friend. That means more than just trusting each other. It means we help each other out when one of us needs help. And believe me or don't believe me, but I haven't enjoyed seeing you like this, all torn up inside since you got back to camp. I don't care what Cupid wants you to do, or whatever, I'm going to help you with it because I'm your _friend_.”

Nico stared at him. And then started laughing. Jason frowned, because that whole speech had been completely sincere, and here Nico was laughing like a maniac. Eventually his chuckles subsided and he leaned forward, resting his head on Jason's collar.

“Never had one of those before,” he said. He was smiling. Jason smiled back.

 

 

 

“You're what?” Percy said, sitting up straight. It had been a few days since the last Nico incident, the demigod in question suddenly spending a lot of time with Jason Grace, the two of them speaking in hushed tones that would cease whenever anyone walked by. It was curious, but Percy didn't care to find out what it was about. As long as things were back to normal. But then.

He'd been lounging with his girlfriend by the lake at Camp Half-blood when she suddenly bizarre words started coming out of her mouth. Annabeth looked up at him from where she'd been leaning against his chest. She frowned.

“I'm moving to New Rome. Temporarily,” she repeated.

“But—what? Why?” He said. The easy, romantic atmosphere of their afternoon dissipated like a cloud after a storm but ironically, the storm had only begun to brew in Annabeth's grey eyes.

“To help with the rebuilding, honestly, what's with your reaction? This isn't the first time I've mentioned it,” she said, and Percy was forced to admit to himself it was true. Reyna had reached out to Camp Half-blood in an official capacity after the war ended, asking for any demigods willing to help with the restoration of New Rome's buildings and facilities. She'd asked for Annabeth specifically, who had declined at the time. It was Annabeth's first taste of real peacetime since she'd come into her heritage as a demigod, and her and Percy's first chance to really operate as a couple without having to worry about prophecies or threats of death on a daily basis.

Like that, time had passed, and Percy was perfectly happy with where he was. No real worries or responsibility. He helped run camp, and enjoyed training new campers in swordplay and other skills, but that was about it. Annabeth seemed to have other ideas. Though they spent plenty of time together, Percy always felt like he'd been sharing Annabeth with a third party – her own brain. His girlfriend always seemed distracted when they were together, running at the mouth about plans and ideas and blueprints she had for this thing or that thing. Percy did his best to nod and make supportive noises at all the right moments, but to be truthful, thinking about all that wore him out. Thinking about doing anything big wore him out. He hadn't even gone on any real quests in a year.

But it seemed to make Annabeth happy, and so it made him happy. He did truly love the way she lit up when talking about a project she was invested in, the way her eyes shone and her hands became a flurry of gesticulation – it was just a kind of energy that Percy couldn't summon up for himself, lately. So he'd been as supportive as he could be, and he thought things were going pretty well, and he didn't want any of it to change.

Then Annabeth brought up New Rome again. Apparently, Reyna and her had stayed in contact all that time, keeping Annabeth updated on how the rebuilding process was going. Reyna had made it continually clear that Annabeth's invitation remained standing, and would remain so til a time unnamed. She'd been making noises about accepting it recently, but Percy had...more or less...selectively ignored her on that topic.

“They're starting work on restoring the Senate buildings and some of the nearby residential blocks, including Reyna's, and she and I have been discussing some new innovations that I think would really improve--”

“Since when are you and Reyna so close?” he interrupted. She looked at him strangely.

“I do have friends, Percy,” she said, and there was a note of hurt in her voice, “I'm more than just your girlfriend, you know,”

“What? No, I know that, that wasn't what I meant,” he stumbled over his words, confused at the turn the conversation had taken, “Of course you are? I mean of course you are, Annabeth, why would you say that?”

She sighed and twisted her hands in her long hair. “It's just how I feel. Lately.”

What? This was news to Percy.

“All you ever want to do is just...lay around and do nothing, Percy.”

“But you told me that you didn't want to...that you wanted to wait...” his voice trailed off and he felt the back of his neck heating up, “I mean, of course I want to do...stuff with you. More than just making out.”

“Percy!” Annabeth practically shouted. Several nearby campers turned their heads to look. Percy's face was burning and from the look of it Annabeth was feeling similarly embarrassed. Well, it's not like they talked about this stuff often! It's not like Annabeth wanted to, past that first awkward night after the victory celebration. Exhilarated and running mostly on adrenaline, they'd fumbled their way into bed and Percy couldn't believe it, couldn't believe he was alive and here he was with the most beautiful girl he'd ever known, who he loved, and who loved him and they'd just fought against primeval evil and kicked its ass and now all he wanted to do was to kiss this girl in front of him and be as close to her as the laws of physics would allow. He'd had one hand up her shirt when her eyes had shuttered and she abruptly said, 'Percy, I don't want to do this right now,'

So he'd stopped. She'd cried and he'd sat there and rubbed her back and let her cry and eventually, she stopped and told him that she wasn't ready, that she wanted to wait. She didn't know why but it didn't feel right. Percy had done his best not to take it personally, because he knew it wasn't about him. Right? It wasn't? He'd believed so at the time. He honestly didn't care if Annabeth decided she was never going to be ready. That's what masturbation was for, right? Annabeth was free to take things at her own pace and Percy would stand by her.

But now, the conversation they were having spoke a different story.

“I'm not talking about.....” she quieted her voice to a whisper, “that. I thought you understood how I felt about that.”

“I did! I do!” Percy defended himself.

“I mean in general. Everyday, you seem so content to just. Do nothing. It's like you're living in this bubble where nothing exists but us,”

“That's a bad thing?”

“It wasn't at first,” she admitted. Oh, so it was a bad thing. A worry began twisting in Percy's gut that he quashed. “I was happy.”

“And now....you're not?”

“Percy, we can't stay that way forever. There's things that need to be done --”

“So let someone else do them!” he said, more forcefully than he intended, but he was rapidly feeling like he was losing control of the thread of what was going on and he just couldn't understand what Annabeth was saying.

“Maybe I don't want to let anyone else do them! Maybe I have to do them for myself!” she shouted back. “Not all of us can—just give up like that, Percy.”

“Is that what you think? That I've given up?”

“No! Yes! No – you just. It seems like you just don't care anymore, Percy. About anything.”

“I care! I care about you!” How dare she, he thought. How dare she think that he didn't care.

“And I care about you!"

The absurdity of what they were angrily shouting at each other suddenly seemed absurd, and both of them deflated.

“I love you, Annabeth,” Percy said, arms circling around her waist. She leaned against him and placed her head against his. She was warm, and soft, and comfortable.

“I love you too, seaweed brain,” she said softly. He huffed.

“Then what were we just fighting about?” Annabeth leaned back and looked Percy in the eye, her arms still circled around his neck. He remembered. Moving. New Rome. Were they breaking up?

“I love you so much, but I have other things too. My cabin, my blueprints, my plans...I need them, Percy. As much as I need you. When it's just the two of us, it's too much. I think about....things.”

She was referring to Tartarus. Percy knew because he was the same way.

“And I can't be your lifeline,” she continued. “I know you've been using us like that. I know you want there to be this perfect ending for us, and once I thought I shared that vision, but.”

But somewhere along the line, things had changed. She didn't want to settle down in a house in New Rome with Percy anymore and start a family. He felt cold. Annabeth suddenly seemed far away, her words muffled like he was deep under the lake instead of standing beside it. 

“I can help in New Rome,” she was saying, “really help, I mean. I'll have a chance to stay busy and useful, and....and you could come with me?”

Percy looked at her. It didn't have to be over. Annabeth wanted him to come with her, to stay with her, she didn't want this to be over any more than he did. He thought about moving to New Rome with Annabeth where she would be in her element, working with Reyna and city planners to build a bigger, better place where demigods could live in peace. Mapping out streets and houses that she had no plans to live in while Percy stood by doing...nothing. While he watched his girlfriend who didn't like him touching her grow more distant as she built the city he once imagined them growing old in together.

Percy thought that she might be as afraid he was of change. He leaned forward so that their foreheads touched and closed his eyes. “I can't leave Camp Half-blood,” he said.

“I know,” she sighed, and closed her eyes too. They sat that way for awhile, not saying anything, just listening to the sound of each other breathing. The dinner bell rang.

“I do love you,” he said again when they finally both opened their eyes. She smiled at him fondly.

“I love you too, Percy. That will never change,” and she stood up and walked away, and that was it. Just like that. Percy knew the gaping wound in his heart would heal, but right now it lay sensitive and raw, giant hole in his chest that the wind could whisper through and he thought, _love_ ,

 _I never knew it could feel like this_.


	3. NICO and JASON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update so soon? I'm spoiling you guys. Again, un-beta'd. I hope the POV switches are obvious enough.
> 
> Breakups can be hard even when both parties agree to it. :,)

Time passed like sand through a sieve. Seven days since Cupid appeared in front of Jason and Nico, and things at Camp Half-blood were still standing at the status quo. Jason was worried, Nico was not. In fact, he couldn't care less if he never had to deal with Cupid or Percy Jackson ever again. The latter was a real possibility, as the son of Poseidon had taken to “pulling a Nico”, as Leo put it, and holing up in his cabin, only emerging for meals.

Percy looked rough. Not that Nico had been paying attention to how Percy was looking, but if he had been, he'd have noticed the bags under Percy's eyes or the greasy sheen to his unwashed hair, sticking up at all angles. Seriously, if the sea god's kid didn't have it in him to take a shower, something was up. But Nico didn't care. He went back to polishing his sword and not watching Percy as Jason paced beside him in the quad.

“Jason,” he said finally, when it looked like Jason was beginning to dig out worried trenches with his feet, “I appreciate the concern – really – but there's no point stressing about it. You know how gods are.”

“Doesn't mean I have to like it,” Jason said with a frown. “I don't like leaving things unfinished like this. And that 'advice' he left you with, what was up with that? Guy sounds more bitter than a dude after a bad breakup. Do you think he was burned by some goddess? Maybe that's why he's got such a stick up his --”

“Maybe someone hasn't learned their lesson about smack-talking gods,” Nico said, turning over his sword and watching the dark material glint in the sun.

“Hey, you're really one to talk,” Jason retorted. Nico cracked a smile. He was feeling strangely peaceful, for the first time since...well. Since a very long time. Maybe it was really just as simple as having someone else around to confide in (that wasn't a skeleton or an undead spirit)? It might have something to do with the fact that he hadn't accidentally shadow traveled into Percy Jackson's personal bubble in over a week.

He was always really good at jinxing himself.

 

 

 

 

 

It happened in the middle of the night. He'd been asleep one moment and then next there was that familiar rush of displaced air and the feeling of his eardrums popping and suddenly he was awake, and somewhere else. His brain was still struggling to process what had just happened and so seemed to be focusing exclusively on tactile sensory input, things like –

_these aren't my bedsheets. The air smells salty. This pillow is flat. Percy Jackson is crying._

Nico blinked.

Shook his head.

Blinked again. The sound was still there. A soft, low noise, followed by a jagged intake of breath, and then the noise again. Nico's eyes adjusted gradually to the darkness and the shapes of the room gradually became clearer, like someone had tuned into a fuzzy radio signal and turned the knob. The empty bunks. The coral fountain, the glowing walls. The exposed sliver of neck, tanned gold, peeking out from under messy black hair. Percy Jackson, curled into a ball and facing away from Nico, barely a whisper apart. His shoulders moved up and down with each uneven breath. Nico didn't move. He was so close that his arm nearly brushed against the curve of Percy's back. He didn't know how long he lay there, on Percy's bed, listening to that awful, embarrassing noise. Nico didn't want to know what Percy was crying about. He just wanted to _leave_. This wasn't like all the other times he'd abruptly popped up directly on top of Percy. This was weird, it felt like a violation of _something_ that Nico didn't want to think about.

Nico made the mistake of exhaling. That simple puff of air escaping his lips ghosted across Percy's exposed neck and in an instant, the noise stopped and Nico found himself flat on his back on the floor with a glittering blade of Celestial bronze pressed against his throat.

“I-Nico?” Percy looked a wreck. His hair was mussed and falling in his eyes, his nose looked like it had been rubbed raw and his eyes were red and watery and much larger in shock than they had any right to be. The pang of empathy Nico felt simply was _not there_ , he told himself. He was imagining it because Nico absolutely could not have any measure of it left in him for Percy Jackson.

“Sleeping,” Nico said angling his neck away from the blade, “Ended up here,”

“Oh – Sorry,” Percy said, and he stepped back and let Nico sit up. Nico rubbed at his throat and eyed the other boy, feeling frozen to the spot. He wanted to leave but Percy was looking at him expectantly, and he got the feeling Percy was waiting for him to say something. He'd be waiting a long time. Percy seemed to get the hint. “You...probably heard me then,” he said, quietly. Nico wished he hadn't.

Another measure of silence. Nico snuck a glance out of the corner of his eye at Percy and hated how pathetic and vulnerable the other boy looked, and he hated, _hated_ the way it still made his heart beat wildly in his chest despite the snot threatening to drip out of Percy's nose.

“Don't tell anyone, please?” _Who would I tell_ , Nico thought, _who would believe me?_ “I'm really sort of – I mean, it's embarrassing to be so worked up over – when it was mutual...”

Nico must have had a quizzical look on his face because Percy looked at him and smiled sadly.

“I don't care,” Nico blurted out at the exact same time Percy said, “Annabeth and I broke up,”

Nico could feel the blood pounding in his ears and wondered what his face looked like, that Percy would stare at him so strangely. “I don't care,” he repeated, shaking his head and trying to stand up but his legs, still tangled in the bedsheet, had other ideas and he flailed and hit the ground. Percy stood up and tried to help him, but Nico was faster and tore the offending linens away and jumped from his touch.

“I don't care,” he said with his hand on the doorknob, no longer sure of who he was speaking to as he ran out across the commons to the safety of his own cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

Jason was not _the_ brightest crayon in the box, he would cop to that, but he did like to think he was perceptive. At least when it came to people. When Nico came up to him the next morning with bags under his eyes and a scowl marring his features, Jason could tell that something was up, even though most people wouldn't have been able to tell this Nico apart from regular, everyday grumpy Nico.

“I'm _fine_ ,” Nico said.

“I hadn't even asked how you were doing, so that's kinda jumping the gun,” Jason said. “What happened, and does it have anything to do with the way Percy's staring at you from across the quad?”

Nico's head snapped up to look where Jason pointed, and even if he hadn't already been able to tell, that would have given the game away entirely. He was telling the truth, though. Percy was moping around aimlessly and occasionally looking up at Nico with these big, worried eyes. It was the first time Jason could recall seeing Percy outside all week aside from mealtimes.

“He's...he probably thinks I'm going to tell somebody,”

“Tell somebody what?”

“That I caught him crying because he and Annabeth broke up,” Nico said bluntly. Jason laughed.

“Well, he had right to worry then, didn't he? Since you just told me,”

“Whatever,” Nico dismissed, “I'm not like you, I don't keep secrets for people. Why should I? Besides, you're not just 'somebody',” Jason's smile grew wider as Nico realized what he'd just said, and flushed.

“Shut _up_ ,” Nico said, giving Jason a shove and refusing to look him in the face.

“I didn't say anything!” Jason said giddily, shoving Nico back. Percy was still staring in their direction, looking between them and frowning, but Nico grabbed Jason's arm and led them away, still scowling determinedly.

“So, how did that happen anyway?” he asked as they walked. Nico gave a great sigh.

“I shadow-traveled in my sleep last night,” he said and Jason resisted the urge to say _I told you so._ Instead he stayed quiet and listened as Nico relayed to him the events of last night. When he was finished, Jason elbowed Nico's side and grinned.

“Dude!” he said.

“'Dude' what?” Nico raised an eyebrow. Jason took Nico by the shoulders.

“Dude, this is great news! Percy's single, man!” Nico glared at him, and shrugged out of Jason's hold.

“How does that affect me,” he said in a monotone voice.

“Are you being deliberately obtuse? You have a chance now, Nico. Maybe this is a sign from Cupid, even. You can tell Percy how you feel now,”

“Don't be stupid, Jason, this doesn't change _anything_ ,” Nico said, “Just because they broke up doesn't make Percy suddenly....it doesn't mean he'll suddenly like guys, let alone _me_ ,” Again when referring to himself Nico sounded especially disparaging, and Jason wished he could shake Nico into believing that it really wasn't that much of a stretch that a guy could be interested in him. If Nico made the effort to be a little more open and friendly, Jason knew he'd be surprised to find how many people might like him.

But then, if Nico were open and friendly, he wouldn't exactly be Nico. It was part of his charm.

Anything that Jason might have said was cut off by the commotion caused by the mass of campers they were coming up on. It seemed like almost the whole camp was gathered, with more campers joining the group. Jason glanced behind him and noticed Percy hanging back at the fringes, no longer focused on Nico but instead at the blonde standing near the front of the crowd. Annabeth. If they were trying to keep their breakup a secret, they might want to not be so obvious about it. Percy and Annabeth not being joined at the hips was like the sun rising at night. Just weird.

As they joined the crowd, Jason looked forward and saw what everyone seemed to be clamoring about – approaching the campers was Chiron, and behind him, walking as if in a trance was their Oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She was walking in a trance because she _was_ in a trance, Jason realized, able to see the faint glowing of her eyes as she got closer. The campers became more noisy and rowdy as she came to a stop in front of them, everyone excited that _they_ might receive a quest from the Oracle.

Rachel held up a single hand and every voice was quieted. Jason resisted glancing down at Nico. This was it, this was what they'd been waiting for all week. Rachel began to speak and her voice echoed with the voices of every Oracle before her.

 

_Stygian iron and Celestial bronze at dawn depart_

_In darkness, reunite lovers too long apart_

_What love itself cannot rend asunder_

_Will be healed by Poseidon's blunder_

_At the edge of all, one shall crumble,_

_One shall stand, and one shall tumble._

 

She lowered her hand. Her eyes closed and her whole body heaved forward and she gasped and when her eyes opened again, they were her normal green color. She blinked and looked around. The campers were quiet, muttering amongst themselves in hushed tones. Jason finally looked at Nico – his face had been drained of all color. He was the only one at camp with a weapon fashioned out of Stygian iron, leaving no doubt that the prophecy they'd just heard was the very same one Cupid had promised to deliver.


	4. PERCY and NICO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So a certain book came out in between this chapter and the last. It should be obvious, but I've added to the story summary that this fic will NOT be BoO-compliant. I can't guarantee that it will be spoiler-free, but not on purpose, anyway.

“There's _lots_ of campers here with Celestial bronze weapons,” Nico said, for the third time. It's the most impassioned he's heard Nico since – since Nico was just a kid talking about Mythomagic, and it would make Percy happy if the sudden outburst of emotion wasn't directed toward the cause of _keeping Percy out of things._ Nico's hands slammed down on the table, “It could be anyone –”

Fine, Percy thought, he didn't want to go on a quest anyway, so it all worked out. But this vendetta that Nico seemed to have against him – grudges he was still holding on to from what? Five, six years ago? That had to stop. Percy was sick of it. He made mistakes. But he'd tried to make it up since then, and Nico had never let him. It wasn't fair.

“Until you read the next lines,” Annabeth interrupted, and Percy slouched down further in his chair. “ _What love itself cannot rend asunder / Will be healed by Poseidon's blunder_ , which means that it's more than likely got to do with Percy. Or Tyson, but he's not here right now,” she read.

“Oh, so now I'm ' _Poseidon's blunder_ '?” Percy snapped, “I know you don't think much of me, but isn't that a little harsh?”

“ _Or_ it could be referring to Poseidon as a stand-in for you, since we know gods can't get directly involved, but if you want to go ahead and just assume –” Annabeth grit her teeth.

“Aren't you supposed to be in New Rome? Why are you still here?”

“I leave tomorrow morning, which I _told you_ over and over, but as usual you weren't listening.”

“Guys!” Piper cut between their bickering. Her face had a worried cast as she looked between her friends, “I don't know what all this is about, but it's maybe not the time? After all, the prophecy says that whoever we choose to go will _'at dawn depart'_. Which doesn't leave us with a lot of time.”

“They weren't specific about which dawn, though. Technically couldn't it be any sunrise from now til eternity?” Leo pondered, scratching at his chin.

“I don't know if we want to take that chance,” Jason said. “But Piper's right. We need to stop arguing and figure this out.”

Percy looked at his lap. He was mortified, he hadn't meant to snap like that. He was fighting with Annabeth the way they had when they both were younger, except every word now held a strange, biting edge. He didn't know how things between them had gotten so messed up, so quickly. All their friends were staring at them like they knew. Nico coughed.

“Percy's not coming,”

“Dude, what is _wrong_ with you?” They were both standing, Nico looking away at the wall but Percy staring straight forward at Nico. He'd _had_ it. Nico opened his mouth but Percy was going to have his say, right now and their voices overlapped in an angry cacophony.

“I don't care what the prophecy says –”

“ – If you have a problem with me, just –”

“ – I'm not going to endanger myself by bringing along – ”

“ – spit it out instead of slinking around like some weird – ”

“ – someone with an obvious disregard for the safety of his fellow demigods –”

“ – antisocial loner, how am I supposed to fix things if you won't tell me what I _did_ –”

“ – not to mention, someone so oblivious to everyone and everything around him!”

“Is this about Bianca?”

A hush fell over the group. Nico whirled around to face Percy. Percy knew the minute the words left his mouth that they were a mistake, but he couldn't take them back. It was a running theme of his lately. Nico looked at Percy as if he were a fly, one that he wanted to pin down and rip the wings off of, slowly and painfully as possibly. He didn't speak. He just turned around, and walked out of the room.

“Nice one, kelp-for-brains,” Leo said. Percy opened his mouth with a comeback ready but Jason held a hand up.

“Don't,” he said. “I'm going to go after Nico – ”

“No, I will,” Piper spoke up, “It'll be easiest. I'm going to talk with him for a bit and undo the damage – ” she leveled a hard look at Percy “ – and then we're going to come back here and we're all going to discuss this like responsible adults,”

“Uh, we're still teenagers though,” Leo inputted helpfully. “Most of us, anyway.”

“Then we'll discuss this like responsible _teenagers_! Ones who can calm the hell down and use their brains instead of their hormones!” It seemed like fire could spout from Piper's nostrils at any moment, so nobody was inclined to disagree with her. She smiled, “Good? Good. Now sit tight everyone, I'll be right back.”

She left the same way Nico had and Percy sat down in his chair, unceremoniously banging his head on the table and covering it with his arms.

“Dude, not cool,” Jason said, “You can't talk to Nico like that.”

 _What about the way he talks to me?_ Percy thought. But he'd really had it, he was fed up with everyone never seeming to cut him any slack and just giving him the benefit of the doubt so what came out was a rambling, pathetic, “I _know_. Dude, I know. I screwed up. Like I always do. I don't know why you're so set on me going on this stupid quest, I'll just mess it up and get someone hurt. I always get someone hurt. It's my fault Gaia was even awoken, it's my fault Annabeth and I fell into Tartarus, it's probably my fault that Bianca died, too. I don't know, it's been so long and I don't remember because I'm a selfish self-centered brat who only thinks about himself.”

“O...kay...wow. Man, I thought Nico had problems. You two really are more alike than you realize.”

“Percy...” Annabeth said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, “None of that was your fault. You know that right? Nobody blames you,”

“Nico does,” Percy said, looking up at her.

“No, he really doesn't,” Jason said. And how would Jason know, anyway? Oh, right. He and Nico and their little pow-wows. Nico probably told him everything. Nico probably liked Jason, he thought. Jason probably made him feel safe. Jason probably never forgot about him. Jason was so perfect, wasn't he? How was Percy supposed to compare? “Nico's been though a lot of stuff. I know he's still working on a lot of it, but he doesn't hate you, Percy. Trust me.”

“And Nico probably doesn't like being talked about when he's not here,” Leo interrupted. “I can't believe I'm the one trying to keep us on track, but guys, the prophecy?”

Annabeth sighed. “Right, okay.” The group went back to the table where the prophecy had been written down on sheets of lined paper, among other notes. “Let's just skip over the first line for now. What about the rest of it? _'In darkness reunite lovers too long apart,'_ ”

“The Underworld?” Percy said tiredly. “Can't think of anywhere darker or more depressing,”

“It might not be talking about literal darkness, though,” Annabeth pointed out. Jason's face was screwed up in concentration.

“Lovers...hold on, there's – ” he paused. Then shrugged, “I wasn't supposed to say anything but I don't think it helps to keep this information secret. I know who gave us this quest, and I know who it's for.”

“What? How?”

“Secrets, secrets, are no fun. They can always hurt someone,”

“Leo, stop. Jason, what are you talking about? How could you know that?”

“Because Cupid – uh, Eros – I'm really not sure which version it was – visited Nico directly and told him that he was giving Nico a quest.”

“That's weird,” Annabeth said, “Why would Cupid pay Nico a visit?”

“Well, didn't they meet before? He gave Nico that weird scepter thing that could raise the dead or something. Maybe there's unfinished business?” Percy mused. Jason's expression turned panicked.

“Anyway! The why isn't important, really. I just think that knowing it's coming from Cupid is important. Except I don't know a lot about the guy that would help us figure out any clues, so that's why I told you. Can we pretend you figured it out on your own?”

“Piper might know something about it. Cupid's sort of her half-brother. Technically.” Annabeth said. She looked over at Percy as she spoke and he was ashamed of how quickly he looked away. Maybe this quest wouldn't be a bad thing after all, he thought. A chance to get away from camp and all the memories he had with Annabeth – maybe it was just what he needed. And if Nico was holding a grudge against him for whatever reason, that didn't have to be his problem at all.

 

 

 

 

Nico didn't go far. As much as he really wanted to just run and get as far as he could from these people who just couldn't understand – there wasn't actually anywhere to go. Camp Half-blood wasn't large, and Jason now knew about his predilection to hide in his cabin. So he just sat on the steps of the Big House, head cradled in his hands. When footsteps approached beside him he sighed deeply and said, “I told you, didn't I Grace? That Percy would never like me that way. This just proves it.” He lifted his head and glared out at the camp. “He's such a jerk! I wish it had been literally anyone else –”

Jason coughed behind him. Except it wasn't Jason. Nico paled.

“Hey,” Piper said.

“Piper – I thought you were –”

“Jason, I know.” She smiled and sat down next to Nico. “It's usually Jason these days, isn't it? You almost spend more time with my boyfriend than I do. Should I be worried?”

“N-no, I...I'm not – ”

Piper took Nico's hand in both of hers. “No, it's not Jason you like, is it? It's someone else.”

Nico could feel himself start to shake. He wanted to rip his hand away from Piper's and blink out of existence. But Piper's voice was so calm and soothing that he felt rooted to the steps they sat on.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” he said weakly. In his gut, a heavy weight was forming, as if a rock had been placed there and was growing bigger and bigger. He was so stupid. Piper knew. Of course Jason would tell her everything. He was so stupid. That's what he got for trusting in someone. After this he was going to go back to the underworld and never leave. The dead didn't spill secrets.

“Jason didn't tell me, don't worry,” she said as if reading his mind, “My mother is Aphrodite. I've learned a thing or two about spotting a broken heart. I'm not saying you're obvious, at least not to Percy – but we both know Percy wouldn't be able to spot a gorgon staring him straight in the eyes without someone pointing it out to him – ”

Nico snorted.

“I just want you to know that Jason isn't your only friend, Nico. We all are. We _all_ care about you,”

He rolled his eyes. She wouldn't be saying that if she knew the first thing about him. People were already scared of him for the whole spooky zombie-controlling thing. If they found out that he was – that he had all these _gross,_ disturbing desires –

Piper squeezed his hand, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“We all care about you, Nico,” she repeated and for a second, Nico believed her, even though he knew it was just her charmspeak. “Even Percy, though he's emotionally stunted and doesn't know how to show it. There's nothing you could tell us that would make us hate you,”

Nico shut his eyes tight against the feeling of tears pricking in the corners.

“You don't know that,”

“Bet you a hundred dollars,” she said.

“Is that all I'm worth?”

“It's all I have to bet with, sadly. Unless,” she dug around in her pocket, “you're interested in a paperclip and a snickers bar? Fun size.” She smiled. Nico looked sideways at her.

“Jason said nobody would care if I...if I was...” the last word came out a whisper, “...gay.”

“He was right,”

“I care. And I think Percy would. If he knew.”

“Percy's an idiot, but he's not homophobic. He wouldn't care. I don't blame you for wanting to keep it from him. It's not any of his business, and besides, I know how to feels to love someone who can't love you back.”

“You do?”

“Yep. Jason and I weren't always so...well. We had more hurdles to overcome than most couples. Namely that Hera fabricated our entire history at first and Jason didn't know who I was.”

“Immortals ruin everything,” Nico said derisively, and Piper laughed. Nico's head felt light. Now there were two people who knew he was gay and that he liked Percy, and the world hadn't ended. Maybe it was going to be ok. “It wasn't because of what he said. About Bianca. That's not why I got angry.”

Piper looked at him, raising her eyebrows.

“Not _entirely_. It's just because...well, he's impossible! Ever since I was a kid he's been this central figure in my life, and it feels like everything that happens to me is either directly or indirectly his fault, and half the time, he doesn't even notice. And then he has a bad day and he has to take it out of everyone else. And this quest...I just. I'm really not looking forward to spending a prolonged period of time with him.”

“Don't you think it's necessary?” she asked, “Obviously it's related to your, uh, issues with your shadow-jumping,”

Nico sighed, blowing his hair out of his face. “I know. I'm just not looking forward to it,” he stood up. “But I guess it wouldn't be the first time I've been made to do something I really, really don't want to do.”

Piper stood up next to him, and together they walked back up the stairs to the front door. She was about to open it and go inside, when a hand at her elbow stopped her.

“Piper?”

“Yes?”

“Just...thanks. I...I want to be your friend too. I can't promise I'll be any good at it, but – ”

“Oh, be quiet,” she said, smiling. “Let's go inside and kick that prophecy's butt.”

 

 

 

 

They walked back inside and Nico strode to his seat, leaned back in it and with a confidence he didn't truly feel said, “Me, Jason, Percy. Now, have you guys figured out anything else useful?”

Percy was looking at him with an indiscernible expression. Nico avoided his gaze. He'd deal with it later.

“We think it's related to Cupid somehow. He's Aphrodite's child...Piper, do you know anything about him?” Annabeth ventured, trying to sound natural about it. Nico looked at Jason who shrugged. Piper was right, he was really bad at lying. It must have been taxing on him to keep all of Nico's secrets, but he did anyway. Nico owed more to him than he realized. Part of him was a little annoyed that he'd told them about Cupid, but after Piper's talk, it didn't seem as important that they knew. The other, more important secret...he'd deal with that later. Later was turning out to be a very busy time for him.

Piper scrunched up her face. “Personally? No. But the biggest piece of lore regarding Cupid is that his arrows can cause people to fall in love.”

“Not that simple,” He muttered under his breath. Jason heard him and shook his head ruefully.

“There's also the story about Eros and Psyche, maybe?” she said. “If I remember correctly, Psyche was a mortal who everyone said was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. Of course, Aphrodite didn't like that too much and sent Eros to kill her. But Eros fell in love with her instead. A bunch of stuff happened in the middle, but in the end, Psyche ends up in the Underworld,”

“I _told_ you!” Percy said triumphantly, banging his fist on the table.

“In darkness reunite lovers too long apart,” Annabeth said.

“But in the story, there's a happy ending. Psyche gets out, and her and Eros get married.” Piper said.

“We all know how accurate Greek myths are,” Jason put in, “Is it possible that part was added on after the fact? I mean, could Psyche still be down there?”

Nico crossed his arms, “But if she IS downstairs, I don't see how we're supposed to get her out. Dad's kind of touchy about that kind of thing these days. Especially not if she pissed a Goddess off.”

“Well, it's a starting point at least,” Annabeth said, “You've got a who and where to go off of.”

“Dawn tomorrow, underworld, find Psyche. Piece of cake.” Leo said. “You guys'll be there and back before you know it. And hey, I've been cooking up something that might help. Come by the bunker before you leave and I'll hook you up,”

Piper nudged Nico encouragingly. _See?_ Her face seemed to say, _you have friends._

Jason stood on his other side, his hand a firm and solid weight on his shoulder. He winked at Nico when Nico looked up at him. Nico flushed. Two people now knew his secrets and the world had failed to end.

And then there was Percy, still looking at Nico as if he couldn't figure him out. _Well, that makes two of us,_ Nico thought. If the son of Poseidon didn't quit it with the staring this trip was going to be a lot harder than it had to be.

 

 

 

 

It turned out that what Leo had been 'cooking up' was a car. “A demigod-friendly car,” Leo explained. “This thing here – ” he whacked a metal box worked into the wires and parts of the engine, “ – emits a, basically you can think of it as a scrambler, like phones and stuff? Except what it does is scramble monster's brains. As long as the engine is running, it'll be a lot harder for any of them to pinpoint where you are. I call it the Valdezomatic!”

“Thanks, Leo,” Jason said, but Leo wasn't done.

“And this here plays all the best music – I programmed in my favorite stations – and over here, if you press this button – ” he did so “ – tada! Bacon!”

“...Thanks, Leo,” Jason repeated again.

“And all of it in the sexy chassis of a '67 Chevy Impala! You wouldn't believe what I went through to get my hands on her,” He grinned, running his hand lovingly against the shiny black hood of the car, then frowned when their reaction seemed to lack the desired effect, “C'mon, nobody?”

“We should go,” Nico said, looking toward the horizon. “The sun's rising. Where's Percy?”

“Here! I'm here,” Percy said, running up to join them. His t-shirt was inside out and his hair, as usual, was mussed in every direction. It wasn't at all cute, Nico told himself.

“Nice of you to join us,” he said.

“We're not all morning people,” Percy grumbled, “Whatever, I'm here now. Let's get a move on – whoa, is that a '67 Chevy Impala?”

“Yes! Dude! What better car to protect you against monsters?” Leo grinned, giving Percy a fist-bump.

“That is so awesome!”

“Yeah, and check it out!” he pressed the button on the dash, “Bacon!”

“Holy crap, Leo, you're the man!”

“Yeah, I know it,”

“Alright! Leo, thanks so much for the ride. We really do have to hit the road, though,” Jason interjected, opening the driver-side door. Percy frowned.

“Woah, wait. I'm driving,”

“Uh, what? I don't think so.”

“I do think so. Do you even know how to drive?”

“Do _you_?”

“I'm driving,” Nico butt in, pushing Jason aside and shutting the door behind him. As he was adjusting the seat closer and sticking the key in the ignition, Jason and Percy both clamored at him from the car window.

“Nico, you're underage,”

“I can drive,” he said. “It's the only solution that isn't going to end in one of you two getting their macho feelings hurt.”

“Hey, I do not have macho feelings!”

“Pfft.”

“Got something to say to me, Grace?”

“GET IN THE CAR,” Nico shouted. Both boys immediately did as they were told. Nico sighed. He was already beginning to regret his decision in quest partners.

 


End file.
